27. Dances and Elves

"So, tell me, how did you get that strong that quick?"

With a curious expression like that of a child, Gavin put down his mug and stood up over the table, posing his question at the startled Nima.

"Ah... That was... thanks to my training... Nothing much, really."

"No use keeping up the act, girl~. We've seen your feisty self plenty!" said the crimson sorceress from the other side of the table.

Hearing her, Nima gave Velmira a bothered side-eye. Not because she disliked the woman, but because she disliked how she was clinging to the other elf standing between them. Fortunately, Yumino stayed oblivious to it all.

"Ahem... Well, if you must know, it was the same day when you left for Alenrius," Nima resumed.

"I was swinging my daggers around the house when Lord Lucien knocked on my door. He quickly noticed that I was drenched in sweat and offered to help me blow off some steam."

Looking around the table, everyone except for Yumino had an expression that gave away how impressed they were.

"Training with the Lord? That's amazing!" said Averin. "One day, I wish to also see how strong His Majesty... Ah! No! How can a knight think like that!"

Averin quickly went on to punish herself by ruffling her own dark hair.

"That aside..." said Garron as he did his best to ignore the young lady. "I heard Lucien is pretty strong!"

"Hm? Yeah... I guess he is. He seemed to be holding back a lot."

"Man, I also wish I could cross blades with him..." intervened the hero.

"Gavin! A hero like you mustn't do something like that!" Averin soon intervened.

But as the others fooled around, Yumino had a more pressing question to ask.

"So, why did he come to your house?"

"Hm?"

"What was his business with you? I haven't seen him visit once while here, so I guess he had something important to discuss."

While Yumino gave him the benefit of the doubt thanks to his hospitality and his grandiose speech, trusting the lord of a country full of vampires was hard for the elf. He never dug too deep, as he was advised against it by Gauntmere, but he was very receptive to the vampires' moves.

"Ah, that? He wanted to make sure we are getting along well. You had just moved in, after all," the girl answered with no hesitation.

Nima didn't continue with any snarky remark or tease. It was one of the rare occasions when she left Yumino some room to probe further instead of turning the tables on him.

"So what did you tell—"

"Oh, come on, Yumino! Now's not the time for all that!" Gaving butted in, . "Let's enjoy the night! You can act jealous another time!"

*****

Night crept in, booze started flowing, musicians showed off their prowess, clients stood up, and the whole tavern came to life.

Yumino found the view fascinating. He thought the past months were enough for him to get used to the world around him, but he had never seen such a lively night before.

Just like the fantasy stories back home, he thought to himself.

"I don't know what those stories were like, but I advise you to be careful of the people around you."

Gauntmere's intervention was not meant to scare the elf. He understood that from her playful voice. However, it was meant as a warning nevertheless.

There was another trope often present in those stories, and a character who would fit it perfectly. Once Yumino understood what the witch meant, he quickly turned his head to his right.

"Yumino~! What are you doing? Come 'n dance with meee~!"

But it was too late. A wild Velmira had caught him off guard. With her cheeks flushed red and with speech of questionable clarity, she held on to Yumino's newly bought white clothes, trying to drag the elf off his seat.

"Look! The others 're all dancing... Why won't you indulge meee?"

In vain did the elf try to free himself; the sorceress was too strong for him. Now, he found himself in the middle of the tavern, all frozen up, as he had never been a good dancer.

Velmira wasn't of much help either, as her spirited dance quickly overwhelmed the elf.

As much as he prayed to the ghost in his head for a solution, Gauntmere only answered with a laugh, telling him that the dance teacher ghost "won't bother keeping up with that crazy witch."

Yumino was ready to give up and accept his fate of making a laughingstock out of himself, but he suddenly felt a hand touch his shoulder and pull him around.

He was soon faced with another lady with a face flushed red.

Ignoring Velmira's blabbering, Nima pulled Yumino's chest close to hers and whispered in his ear.

"Remember our fight? This is your chance to get even~" said Nima, lifting the elf's hand and twirling around below it.

That was the moment the "dance teacher" finally intervened.

"Just follow her lead!" said Gauntmere—the dance teacher.

Pumped up by the girl's words, Yumino summoned up his courage and did as advised.

Similar to their fight months ago, Yumino closely followed Nima's moves and came up with answers he felt were right.

Their steps synchronized, their bodies moved together, their hands held tight, and they left themselves in the care of one another.

It wasn't long before they got the attention of the whole tavern. Be it a duel or a dance, this was proof that they complemented each other effortlessly.

Of course, Yumino would stumble at times, but Nima was always there to meet his clumsy moves. Every mistake was transformed into a new move. Every move impressed the ones around. Every clap created a new rhythm for the musicians, and soon, the musicians were the ones who had to keep up with the two dancers.

Had it been minutes, hours, or mere seconds since they started dancing? Time didn't exist for either of them. If it was with one another, they could go on forever.

The first one to get tired was the guitarist, his fingers bright red as the music seemed to lose its rhythm, yet the two didn't want to stop. So Yumino found another solution.

With the girl leaning on his arm, he let out a proud wink that confused her. He lifted the girl, spun her around, and before she could stop herself, Yumino had already grabbed the guitar that was missing its musician.

With a smug grin as a response to the new challenge, Nima grabbed the ends of her white dress and gently bowed her head.

As it turns out, Yumino had one more hidden talent. Maybe it was because of his affinity with strings, but he quickly proved that he can play six of them with little effort.

No matter how the man changed the rhythm, the lady's dance followed it. Before long, Yumino's fingers would do their own thing, as his gaze was being held captive by the dancer in front of him.

The way she played with her dress, the elegant moves of her hands, the trust she put in her feet, and the small winks she would let slip whenever their eyes met—they all had Yumino staring as if he were seeing an angel. And who knows, maybe he thought the same.

It was only when the light of the morning sun slipped through the windows that things calmed down. By now, Yumino was on his feet, dancing with the girl at the same time he played the guitar, and to end the night on a high, both of them decided to make the last song one to remember.

A guitar solo and a dance that seemed like a whole spectacle—that's what they offered the audience. 

By the time they were done, applause flooded the room, with some even shedding tears—each with their own reasons.

"This was the most beautiful thing I've seen!"

"It should have been me!"

Both Averin and Velmira screamed between claps.

Tired from his performance, Yumino let himself fall on a nearby chair, placing the guitar to his side.

Soon to follow was Nima, who let herself fall on the same chair on top of him, surprising the elf, who barely caught her.

"What—"

But before Yumino could say anything, the girl grabbed his head, pulled it towards her, and left the mark of her lipstick on Yumino's cheek, bringing complete silence to the room before another loud burst of ovations resounded as some hearts broke.

The only one who was supposed to freeze up was Yumino. At least that's what Nima expected, but that didn't happen. Instead, he just glanced at her with a wide smile.

"What? Don't think you're getting anything else," Nima said in an attempt to get a different reaction, her eyes sparkling however with anticipation.

"Don't worry! I'm in no rush," Yumino countered, followed by a wink that made them both laugh.

*****

What nobody observed was that outside, maybe upset that nobody invited him, stood Lucien with a bitter smile. He muttered something to himself and flew back to his castle with a sour look.

And yet even higher above them, three of the Four Riders stood in silence, as if the very gods had been pleased by tonight's show.